Social Media Beyond EDU

Colleges and universities are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their use of social media. We’re more strategic, creative, and better at integrating social into various campaigns than we have been. But while the progress is undeniable, it still feels as though higher ed is lagging behind the private sector in making serious investments in social media as part of broader integrated digital strategies that relate to core business goals. Is this perception accurate? Are there things that social media practitioners in higher ed could learn from the private sector that would help us serve our institutions better? Or on the flip side of the coin, are there aspects of higher ed that we take for granted and ought to leverage more fully?

In this show, Host Andrew Gossen tackled these questions with two alumni of higher ed social media who currently are working in the private sector. Essense of Australia‘s Public Relations & Social Media Manager Ian Shea-Cahir formerly worked at Princeton University, and VML Senior Channel Manager, Social Media Annie Noll got her higher ed experience at Ottawa University. The conversation ranged widely from selection of tools to ROI, from the increasing need to budget for promoted posts to the relative ease of creating content in a campus environment. The guests’ juxtaposition of private-sector perspective and insiders’ understanding of higher ed made for a highly engaging show.